Finding your way: Self employment, start-up focus and marketing

Yesterday, I had coffee with a friend who I've known for many years. Formerly employed by a major corporation, over his life, his pay cheques have probably been much larger than mine (we've never discussed specific salary or income levels: bad manners to do that, of course.)

He's seen shifts, changes, bumps and grinds, and experienced the painful reality of corporate life: When decisions are made outside your control, you can be victims of corporate misfortunes not your fault.

His challenge now: He doesn't know exactly what to do, and his explorations in starting up in business for himself have had their share of disappointments.

He started work co-ordinating a renovation project (he is skilled with his hands as well as his mind). Even with a proper contract and clear processes, things went truly bad when the homeowner suddenly decided that the project would end mid-stream, immediately. Pay -- including the thousands of dollars for ordered and delivered kitchen cabinets? "No way," the homeowner said. Lawyers say he is well covered by the contract, and with changes impending increasing the small claims limits within Ontario, he is waiting a couple of months to file the legal papers. But right now he has $7,500 in kitchen cabinets.

"There are people out there willing to work for virtually nothing, and I've been offered $1,300 for the cabinets," he said. "I don't know if this is for me?"

I started the conversation, before knowing this story, asking him what he really enjoys and is good at. He said he could be a great consultant, and maybe he could be a great renovator. Well, those are two rather different career tracks.

I have a potential business/career opportunity in the consulting space. This blog (and my own expertise) are leading to plenty of initial inquires, but I haven't found a way (yet) to effectively guide these potential clients. The problem in part is that many readers here are very small businesses and start-ups (like my friend) without much money for full-scale consulting services. We need to have a system to process the leads and guide the qualified ones for revenue-generating services.

But I have an existing business, and right now the marketing from this blog is focused on guiding potential clients to the services we currently offer. They are useful, of course, but quite specialized, and I sense that while they could be of value to many readers here, the blog isn't really the best way to refer the potential clients to my current business.

I proposed to my friend that we could build a consulting business, in part, by rethinking this blog's lead management system. He expressed interest. But I didn't rush the decision.
I probed deeper to get a real sense of what he really wanted to do.

Does he really want to be a renovator, or does he really want to be a consultant (or does he want to go back to the corporate space?) Is one bad experience as a renovator dissuading him from a really rational career choice? If that is the case, I suggested he join the relevant home builders association, and budget some money (about $3,000 to $5,000) for marketing to build a brand and distinguish himself from the low-ballers. It won't be easy, I told him, but it is the way to go if he really wants to work in that field.

I explained to him that I have always had the good fortune of being "dumbly narrow". In other words, from when I was 10 years old, I knew that I wanted to be a journalist and publisher. It took a while to fulfill these visions, but ultimately I found my way. With the decision in hand, I developed the necessary supporting skills and eventually had my own business.

I could push him to work on the consulting project, and he might be really good at that, but equally I listened to his "heart" and realized that it is wrong to sell this too hard.

So what should he do? Where should he focus? And how can he make the commitment to the course he wants to take, with the ups and downs, and the frustrations and economic risk?
These are easier questions to ask than answer. It is easy to say "go where your heart tell you to go" but there are still painful choices. Life isn't easy at the start-up stage; and things go wrong.

The things we enjoy

Many states and provinces, supported by industry groups and associations, have mounted campaigns to encourage young people to consider construction careers. This image is from The Building Industry Workforce Development Initiative in California. While I agree it is good to encourage young people to consider construction careers, I hope the current downturn won't turn into another example of why many people choose alternatives -- of course, 'hard times' are not really a problem for the people who really want to do the work -- and are really good at it.

In 1988, at age 35, I became a publisher -- combining my passion for journalism with business. It proved to be the right career choice. Through ups and downs, good times and bad, lucrative and struggling years, I've always enjoyed this work enough to carry on, to continue, to take the hits and surprises, and painful moments and risks.

So, when I go out and interview successful construction company owners, what do I find?

Me. . .

Well, not exactly -- you wouldn't want me running a construction project! But I see the same passion and enjoyment in the work; the same inner joy in the career choice.

The reason is that if you are as fortunate as I am -- and you are if you are among the construction business owners who have built successful enterprises through their enjoyment of their work, and skill in their trades and business -- you get to wake up most mornings looking forward to your day at work.

Those of us running businesses know that the creativity required for successful business is just as great (if not greater) than the artist, novel writer, or musician. We need to juggle many different elements -- connecting ideas, individuals, and insights in a constantly changing environment.

If you aren't happy in your work, if you are doing it "for the money" or because "I'm expected to do it" or "I don't know anything else but it is where I am", stop, think, deliberate, and then when you are ready, take the jump and make the change. (I am not advocating doing this blindly or without respect for your family or other obligations; you may also need to spend some time learning the skills before making the change, but you should still do it.)